Michael Nixon is uniquely positioned to know about technology. The 15-year-old Australian student is the founder of EduKits International and the inventor of The Amazing Annoyatron that won Australia’s National PitchFest Competition and was recently recognized as a finalist for Young Inventor of the Year in the U.S. Toy and Game Innovation Awards. His Amazing Annoyatron kit teaches youngsters age 9-15 how to code and think outside the proverbial box.
“For the jobs of the future, kids are going to need to know not only about technology, but how to use and modify it,” said Nixon.
In developed nations around the world, students are dropping out of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classes that are essential for the professions of the future.
Today’s youth have been reared with technology, but have no idea how it works or why. The Amazing Annoyatron is changing that and the way kids learn about technology.
The Amazing Annoyatron kit contains 30 components that can be used to build more than 20 projects. It was created based on feedback from youngsters about the gadgets, gizmos and inventions they’d actually like to build themselves. The kit provides everything needed, along with interactive and online resources.
Children love pranks and Nixon has built on that with an educational tool that enables youngsters to create fun items that engage their natural curiosity. Users will learn how to code items ranging from a motion-sensitive “broken” light to a program with sounds that mimic extraterrestrial life. Individuals can synthesize catchy tunes and program an electronic cricket.
As a tech expert in his own right, Nixon observed the lack of teachable tech in classrooms. Some schools simply don’t have the budget for introducing technology, while others lack teachers with the needed experience. An additional problem is that many parents don’t understand how important it is to know how and why technology works.
“My concern is that because most parents haven’t had experience with coding and it’s viewed as a difficult concept, Christmas and birthdays will see a lot of kids will be getting the usual clothes, gaming device or sporting gear,” said Nixon.
An estimated 75 percent of occupations in the future will require skills in STEM technology for which today’s youth are ill-prepared. It’s not just a problem facing students in Nixon’s native Australia. Formal educational institutions around the globe haven’t kept pace with the need to teach students to understand, devise and manipulate technology.
The Amazing Annoyatron technology kit is far more than an entertaining way to meet that need. It’s been an international success with parents that want to provide the best opportunities for their children, with sales ranging from the U.S. to the Middle East. The innovative kit teaches coding, aids in developing problem solving skills, and promotes STEM concepts that will be essential for the future to ensure no child is left behind in the tech world.
The Editor says:
We loved The Amazing Annoyatron. It’s a shame it wasn’t around when we were kids, but we’re glad its here now.
